Subcon 2018: serving the supply chain

May 14, 2018

Now in its 42nd year, Subcon returns to the NEC in Birmingham from 5-7 June 2018. More than 4,500 manufacturing and engineering professionals across all industry sectors are expected to attend three days packed with keynote presentations and practical workshops.

Subcon is a defining event in the manufacturing supply chain calendar, bringing together the contract manufacturing community for three days of intense networking, learning and collaboration. It is widely regarded as the must-attend event for subcontract manufacturing professionals across all industry sectors, looking to source suppliers, benchmark capabilities and secure the right partners to help them remain competitive in a global market.

The exhibition will see over 400 companies on the floor, showcasing the latest innovations and services on offer. These exhibitors cover every aspect of contract manufacturing and additional services – from machining and die casting to MRP software, lasers and plastics, Subcon has the entire industry covered.

Many of these companies have made extensive investments in new machinery and technology and will be demonstrating their new capabilities. The best of British manufacturing will be on display alongside a wealth of market-leading international suppliers all looking to help UK manufacturers increase their competitive advantage in 2018 and beyond.

New partnerships

New for 2018, Subcon will also feature The Engineer Expo to create the first, truly cross sector industry event with visitors able to enjoy unlimited access to both shows.

And if that wasn’t enough, Subcon has also partnered with Automechanika Birmingham, the UK’s leading exhibition for the automotive aftermarket and vehicle production sector. This partnership will enable all visitors to benefit from attending both events by registering just once for their visitor badge.

World class content

As part of the collaboration with The Engineer Expo, a six-stream, 36-session conference programme will be held across two theatres.

Rolls-Royce CTO Paul Stein will present the keynote within a programme that also features sessions on digitalisation, robotics, prosthetics, Blockchain, smart materials and technology transfer delivered by some of the UK’s leading engineers and its most innovative disruptors.

A key theme of this year’s conference is cross-sector collaboration and technology transfer with Dr Caroline Hargrove, CTO of McLaren Applied Technologies, talking about how technological expertise in motorsport can be spun out into other sectors. Elsewhere, BAE Systems’ Dr Henry White will show delegates how technology from the defence sector can be applied to the world of elite sport.

Other programme highlights include cybernetics specialist Nadine Stech who helped to design Linx, the world’s most intelligent prosthetic limb, and the CTO of Fujitsu UK who will treat visitors to an explanation of blockchain and how it can be applied to the engineering supply chain. Visitors will also be able to hear about the latest developments in driverless cars from Jaguar Land Rover’s head of autonomous projects, Mark Cund.

These free to attend presentations will showcase cutting edge innovation and best practice from the worlds of engineering, manufacturing and supply chain management.

On the manufacturing side, the conference programme will cover everything from the practicalities of implementing Industry 4.0 technology to the latest developments in 3D printing, composite materials, and advanced metrology technologies. Highlights here include Xaar’s Professor Neil Hopkinson, one of the pioneers of 3D printing in the UK.

“Delegates at my session will learn to appreciate the immediacy of the opportunity of 3D printing for part production – it’s a field that is moving quickly – and understand where the technology does and doesn’t make sense,” explains Professor Hopkinson. “They should also draw inspiration on where and how they can best add value to their organisations through 3D printing.”

Other key speakers include The AMRC’s head of digital Professor Rab Scott, Professor Dame Jane Jiang, who heads up the EPSRC’s Future Metrology hub at the University of Huddersfield and Professor Rajkumar Roy, director of manufacturing, Cranfield University.

Getting down to business

Subcon is an ideal platform for engineers to source the latest advanced engineering technology, products and services and optimise production across the manufacturing cycle. More than 4,500 visitors from aerospace, automotive, defence, electronics, energy, materials, oil and gas and rail sectors will attend Subcon this year to do business with over 400 exhibitors.

In 2017, Subcon saw an unprecedented 31% rise in visitors, resulting in a record attendance of more than 4,300 buyers. Given that 92% of those visitors came to source products and services and included buyers from some of the biggest names in global manufacturing, it is little wonder that more than 78% of exhibitors re-booked onsite for 2018.

Alongside the new partnerships and the extensive, industry-leading content of the conference programme, the 2018 event is set to be the biggest show to date.

Join the conversation

As part of the Subcon event, there has already been a major research programme underway. The first wave of research has looked at the impact of Industry 4.0 and digital manufacturing technologies. Further research is due out soon and will be sure to set the tone for a lot of conversation at the event.

For those businesses looking to join in the conversation, Subcon is active across Twitter (@SubconShow) and LinkedIn, as well as the Subcon blog.